Talk It Out, Run It Out

By Sarah Houle

When it comes to working out, cardio isn’t easy. A lot of people think of cardio as a chore they need to fit into their workout routine. Cardiovascular exercise is absolutely not the end-all-be-all for staying fit. In fact, cardio has a lot of drawbacks that make people avoid it — aside from being painful. However, whether we like it or not, cardio offers a lot of benefits for our overall health. In order to increase cardiovascular health, improve endurance, and reduce the risk of many diseases, it is important to incorporate some sort of aerobic activity into our lives. One simple way to do this is to run. It seems obvious, and is much easier said than done. I have been running for about six years now and want to share with you a habit that has improved my running in the past few months. 

Throughout high school, I used to run with my friend who was faster than me. Having someone to talk to throughout a run typically made the time pass much faster because I was distracted by the conversations we were having. It also always pushed me to work hard on my runs and try to catch my breath as she effortlessly talked my ear off. I think she got used to having a slightly one-sided conversation as I struggled for air, but it turns out that talking during cardiovascular exercise is actually a really good indicator of endurance level. 

When I first came to college, my schedule became much more independent and I rarely ran with a running buddy. I became used to running alone while listening to music or podcasts which was effective for a while. I wanted to push myself breathing-wise and decided to try calling my mom during my run one day. I will call my parents, grandparents, and siblings multiple times each week, so combining this with the time spent on a run would save time for myself later. I found that doing this not only made the run go by faster, but it also paced me well because I was working harder to converse simultaneously. As a runner, I have a tendency to increase my speed and burn out shortly after, which causes me to have pretty inconsistent mile splits. Talking on the phone prevented me from exceeding a good personal speed and allowed me to sustain it for a longer duration. This habit has improved my speed over time and has pushed me in a new way. Try out this tip and see if it works for you; as always, listen to your body & do what is best for you!